Jula plans to restore basketball pride at his alma mater

Thursday

Mar 29, 2012 at 12:01 AMMar 29, 2012 at 11:45 PM

Mike Bires @mikebires

AMBRIDGE — For the first time in 41 years, Mark Jula feels like a Bridger again.

A former three-sport star at Ambridge, Jula took care of his first order of business as the school’s new basketball coach. Thursday, he introduced himself to a large gathering of players who hope to turn around a program that’s fallen on tough times.

“Great meeting ... 26 kids in grades nine through 11,” he said. “They were all attentive. They looked like a bunch of guys who are serious about getting it done.”

Jula, a 1971 Ambridge grad, is serious, too. He’s been a head coach for 31 years at six different stops in Pennsylvania, and he’s won everywhere he’s been.

He believes he’s the man who can resurrect a program that went 5-37 the past two years, including 2-22 in section play.

“Talk about going full circle ... it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing going back to your alma mater 41 years after you left,” he said. “On what will probably be my last stop, I have the chance to give back to the community where it all started for me.

“So to get the chance to hopefully bring some enjoyment, excitement and commitment back to the program, what better way for it to end with me.”

When Jula attended Ambridge, he played football, basketball and baseball. While he excelled in all three sports, hoops was his first love. In 1970 when the Bridgers last played in a WPIAL championship game — they lost to Beaver Falls at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh — Jula was the point guard.

Then after his college career at Juniata, Jula was hired as coach at Solanco High School at age 25. He would also coach at Boyertown, another school in the eastern part of the state, before heading west. He’s spent the bulk of his coaching career at four WPIAL schools: Moon Area, Butler, North Allegheny and Center.

In 1991, he led Butler to its only WPIAL championship. In ‘95 and ‘99, he led North Allegheny to its first two appearances in the WPIAL final. Overall, Jula’s record is 467-303.

But that resume didn’t help Jula two years ago when Center merged with Monaca. He didn’t get the job at Central Valley. He also wasn’t hired in his attempt to get the Ambridge job. Instead, former Robert Morris star Joe Falletta got the job. But Falletta lasted only two years.

Did Ambridge make a mistake by not hiring Jula two years ago?

“I don’t know,” he said. “They did what they had to do. They did what they thought was right. That’s history. All I know is that we’re going to work hard in terms of making sure this decision was the right one. We’re going to try to make this something special.”

Even though he wasn’t coaching the past two years, Jula stayed close to the game. He helped a few of his friends in the business, usually breaking down videotape. Not once did he see Ambridge play the past two years, although he did watch videotape of a game.

“I watched half of a film. That was enough,” he said.

It was enough to know that the young Bridgers need a lot of work before they can start winning.

Jula inherits a program that didn’t have a ninth-grade team last year. Freshmen moved up to varsity because there weren’t enough upperclassmen on the team. Jula also won’t have the Bridgers’ leading scorer and arguably their best player from this past season — 6-foot-4 forward Malik Walker transferred to Lincoln Park.

“I think there’s some talent there from what I can gather, and looking at the roster, some size,” Jula said. “And the eighth-grade team from what I understand was very good. So that’s what we’re looking for.”

Jula, 58, isn’t making any promises in terms of wins, section championships or playoff berths. All he guarantees is that the Bridgers will play hard.

“Will we win 10 games, or 20 or only five? I don’t know,” he said. “But we are going to have a worth ethic and a passion and an enthusiasm that’s second to none.

“I know these kids want to win. There isn’t an Ambridge kid who wants to lose. It’s my job to teach them how.”

Mike Bires can be reached online at mbires@timesonline.com or by phone at 724-622-4284

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